The present invention relates to a device for holding a collection of small quantities of spices for a specific cuisine and to a method of providing and marketing cuisine-specific spices, and particular to a self-supporting, spice-holding device in the shape of a book and to a method of marketing spices in a cuisine-specific book shaped holding device and more particular to a plurality of book-shaped spice-holding devices, each of the plurality of holding devices containing small, replaceable quantities of spices and ingredients for use in the preparation of recipes identified within a specific type of cuisine and to a method of doing business including marketing one or more or a combination of several cuisine-specific spice holders with cuisine-specific recipes and also to marketing replacement packages of cuisine-specific spices, herbs and ingredients.
Prior spice-holding devices have included fixed shelf cupboards for holding self-supporting containers of spices of the users choosing. Previous spice-holding devices have included slidable drawers or compartments in which spices may be filled and/or from which spices may be dispensed. None of the prior devices have provided a book-shaped self-supporting spice-holding device into which small quantities of cuisine-specific spices are provided.
Also, in the past, spices have been sold in separate containers having separate spices, each spice or herb selected by the user according to the user""s desires. Also in the past, certain combinations of spices and ingredients have been premixed in single packages for creating a specific recipe as, for example, a powdered soup mix, a chili mix, taco mixes, spaghetti sauce mixes, gravy mixes, sauce mixes and the like. Such premixed spice and ingredient combinations most typically are intended for purposes of a single recipe and a single meal preparation. Those premixed spices do not normally provide for convenient modification of the recipe. Such mixes have not been provided in a self-supporting book. Previously, it was not known to collect individual spices that are associated with a particular group of recipes within a type of food preparation or a cuisine, place them in small quantities into a holding device shaped like a book or in one of a group of xe2x80x9cvolumesxe2x80x9d or a set of various cuisine-specific holding devices and to market the spices together with cuisine-specific recipes and further to market replacement packages of spices to refill depleted, old or stale quantities of the cuisine-specific spices.
The present invention provides a self-supporting book-shaped spice-holding device. The spice-holding xe2x80x9cbookxe2x80x9d is internally partitioned for holding small quantities of a variety of selected herbs and spices for use in preselected, cuisine-specific recipes. The invention further comprises a collection of spice-holding books, each book uniquely constructed to contain small quantities of a variety of selected cuisine-specific herbs and spices. Each book device for holding spices constructed to support itself when placed on a shelf, in a cupboard or on a countertop. Each spice-holding book is separately labeled for the preselected type of cuisine. The spices, herbs and ingredients held in an individual spice-holding device corresponds to the designated type of cuisine and is called for by any of a number of cuisine-specific recipes provided in a pamphlet also held in the book-shaped spice, herb and ingredient-holding device.
In the preferred embodiment, a collection of individual xe2x80x9cbooksxe2x80x9d contain small quantities of a variety of herbs, spices and/or other ingredients that are useful in preparing a particular type of cuisine. The type of cuisine is designated on the outside of the book on the cover and/or on the binding as a particular theme, such as xe2x80x9cThe American Pantry,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cThe American Southern Pantry,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cThe Basic Pantry,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cThe Cajun Pantry,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cThe Children""s Pantry,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cThe Chinese Pantry,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cThe Greek Pantry,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cThe Indian Pantry,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cThe Italian Pantry,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cThe Korean Pantry,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cThe Mexican Pantry,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cThe Thai Pantry,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cThe Vietnamese Pantry,xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cYour Pantryxe2x80x9d for spices specifically collected according to an individual""s own personal recipes. For example, xe2x80x9cThe Italian Pantryxe2x80x9d may have spices such as oregano, basil, garlic, etc. Also for example, xe2x80x9cThe Mexican Pantryxe2x80x9d may have chili powder, red pepper, garlic, and so on.
The Applicant has further created a unique and useful method of doing business including collecting, packaging and providing a variety of selected cuisine-specific spices and herbs in an openable book-like structure for holding small quantities of spices and herbs specifically selected for a designated cuisine. The xe2x80x9cbooksxe2x80x9d are labeled to facilitate convenient access to a xe2x80x9clibraryxe2x80x9d of a variety of different cuisines. Further, the method of doing business, according to other aspects of this invention, may include the additional step of providing replacement small quantities for refilling the depleted quantities of the separate selected spices. Packages of replacement quantities are sized and shaped for placement in the appropriately labeled, spice-holding device, having individual spiceholding compartments in the book-like structure. A complete set of xe2x80x9cvolumesxe2x80x9d or a complete xe2x80x9clibraryxe2x80x9d of cuisine-specific spice-holding devices may also be provided. Further, each cuisine-specific spice-holding device is provided with a holder for a cuisine-specific recipe booklet or a set of recipe cards or sheets. A recipe display structure within the spice-holding device is provided for displaying a recipe booklet, card or sheet exposed to view for reading when the cover of the spice-holding device is open on a countertop in a kitchen or on a shelf in the food preparation area. The user has convenient access to the small quantities of spices for preparation of a readable, displayed recipe, preselected and organized according to the specific cuisine.